Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation

Mission Statement

The mission of the Berlin Parks and Recreation Department is to provide high quality leisure time services and facilities to the residents of Berlin and surrounding communities. This is accomplished through departmental programs and services, as well as the preservation and improvement of the local environment.

Recreation Programs

Parks

Parks maintenance building is located at the north edge of Riverside Park and can be reached by calling 920-361-5436.

Location

Acres

Shelter-
house

Picnic
Tables

Benches

Nature
Area
Trails

Boat
Launch

Open
Play
Areas

Softball
Baseball
Fields

Playground
Equipment

Fishing

Restrooms

Swimming
Pool

Volleyball

Riverside Park

38

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Nathan Strong Park

1.6

X

X

X

X

Forsyth Park

1.3

X

X

X

X

Longcroft Park

3.1

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Firefighter’s Park

0.3

X

Volunteer Park

0.2

X

Mound Street Park

1.3

X

X

X

X

Berlin Locks

62.1

X

X

X

X

X

Riverside Park

Riverside Park, one of the premier community parks in east central Wisconsin, stretches some 3,700 feet along the east bank of the Fox River in the northern portion of the city. At 38 acres, the park is Berlin’s only sizable park facility. The park is heavily used by boaters, fishermen, campers, picnickers, and athletes; and provides access to the Fox River for snowmobilers during the winter months. It also accommodates softball & volleyball leagues, youth programs, and hosts a number of community events and festivals.

Facilities include two lighted softball diamonds and an unlighted youth baseball diamond, each improved with electronic scoreboards and bleachers; five volleyball courts, four of which are lighted, a frisbee golf course; over 2,000 feet of sea wall with boat moorings; a double boat launch; state-of-the-art basketball courts with glass backboards; 8 lighted horseshoe courts; 22-unit RV camping area with electronic hookups (20, 30, & 50 amp service), picnic tables, shoreline moorings, water supply, and dump station; three, large shelter houses with restrooms; electricity and parking; a concession stand; five children’s playground areas; picnic tables and grills; flower beds; Clarke School Museum; a state historical market; and park system maintenance facility. Local civic groups have made major contributions towards the park’s development.

Nathan Strong Park

Locally known as East Side Park, this 1.6-acre neighborhood park is located east of the downtown. Surrounded by many large and historically important homes from Berlin’s past, the park is a focal point for local parades and roadside travelers.

Facilitates in the park include a Victorian gazebo with electricity, an 1800’s War Memorial, lighted fountain, picnic tables and benches, play equipment, drinking fountain, lighted walkways and authentic Civil War cannons.

Forsyth Park

Located west of the downtown, this 1.3-acre site functions as a small neighborhood park for residents in this portion of the city. Facilities include play equipment, picnic tables and benches, flower beds, lighted walkways, and a drinking fountain.

Longcroft Park

Longcroft Park is located on the west side of the Fox River in the downtown area. The park features the Berlin Aquatic Center, which has become an area attraction since its construction. Other facilities at this 3.1-acre park include a small boat launch, a play structure, and picnic tables & grills.

This park also includes a 190 ft. long pedestrian bridge linking Longcroft Park to the other side of the Fox River.

Firefighter's Park

Located near the east edge of the downtown, this 0.3-acre site serves primarily as a rest area and city information site. Facilities include benches, a drinking fountain, a flagpole, and a flower bed. A nativity scene graces the park during the holiday season. The park also features a recently constructed memorial dedicated to men & women firefighters, past and present.

Volunteer Park

The city maintains a small 0.2-acre site on Huron Street in the central downtown area which serves as a resting spot. Facilities include an information sign, flower planters, benches, and a walking path to a city parking lot.

Mound Street Park

Mound Street Park is a small neighborhood park serving residents of the southwestern portion of the city. Facilities at the 1/3-acre site include play equipment, picnic tables and benches, and open play area. The park is in need of additional landscaping.

Berlin Locks

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) owns 62.1 acres of land adjacent to the Fox River and former lock site south of the city. Facilities include two boat launches with parking (one above and one below the dam), a handicapped accessible fishing pier, a restroom facility, lock remnants, the former lock tender’s house, and a gauging station.

Plans are underway to restore the old lock tender’s house.

The DNR is currently giving consideration to establishing a Fox River Heritage State Parkway, which would utilize abandoned lock sites and other former Corps of Engineers holdings along the river between Portage and Green Bay. Should these plans come to fruition, this site could be an important interpretive and informational stop on the river.

Park Shelters

The City of Berlin Parks & Recreation Department will accept reservations for shelter houses on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Park and Recreation office located on the second floor of City Hall. All reservations require (2) separate checks. (1) cost of rental fee (2) $100.00 refundable deposit. The 2017 reservation fee structure is as follows:

FEE SCHEDULEPrices are per day

Monday –
Thursday

Weekend
up to 99 guests

Weekend
100 + guests

Riverside Park North Shelter #1
Riverside Park South Shelter #2

$50 resident
$80 non-resident

$85 resident
$140 non-resident

$100 resident
$170 non-resident

Nathan Strong Park Gazebo
Veterans Gazebo at Riverside Park

$35 resident
$60 non-resident

$50 resident
$90 non-resident

Not
Applicable

Riverside Park North Diamond Shelter

$40 resident
$60 non-resident

$55 resident
$80 non-resident

Not
Applicable

Veterans Gazebo

$35 resident
$60 non-resident

$50 resident
$90 non-resident

Not
Applicable

For more information or to pick up a reservation form contact the Berlin Parks & Recreation Department at 920-361-5437 or parkandrec@cityofberlin.net

If you notice a problem with a shelter, please contact the Parks Department at 920-361-5436 during the day. On evenings and weekends please contact the Berlin Police Department at 920-361-2121 and they will page the park duty person to address your request.

Riverside Park, one of the premier community parks in east central Wisconsin, stretches some 3,700 feet along the east bank of the Fox River in the northern portion of the city. At 38 acres, the park serves as Berlin’s primary park facility. The park is heavily used by boaters, fishermen, campers, picnickers, and athletes, and provides access to the Fox River. It also accommodates softball & volleyball leagues, youth programs, and hosts a number of community events and festivals. Facilities include two lighted softball diamonds and an unlighted youth baseball diamond; five volleyball courts; over 2,000 feet of sea wall with boat moorings; a double boat launch; state-of-the-art basketball courts with glass backboards; 8 lighted horseshoe courts; 22-unit RV camping area with 22 electric hookups (20, 30, & 50 amp) and firepits, shoreline moorings, water supply, and dump station; three large shelter houses with restrooms and electricity; five children’s playground areas; and Clark School Museum. Local civic groups have made major contributions towards the park’s development.

Nestled along the shore of the Fox River is your opportunity to escape the pressures of every day life and return to a simpler time and place. The City of Berlin is located a mere 20 miles west of Oshkosh. With a population of 5,300 residents, Berlin was voted best small town in Norman Rockwell’s Wisconsin Trails . Berlin gives a feel of days gone by.

Berlin Aquatic Center offers a way to have a great time escaping the summer heat. Within the same park area as the pool, the newly renovated Longcroft Park includes 900 ft of shoreline with 5 fishing stations and a paved walkway with many native plants to enjoy. Berlin Locks Park is another favorite spot for many local anglers. Only a short distance from the campground, Berlin’s downtown features specialty shops, restaurants, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, as well as one-of-a-kind stores not found in big cities. Having recently been placed in the National Register of Historic Places, Berlin’s Nathan Strong Park has many outstanding Victorian homes nearby; so take a walk and enjoy outside viewing of these beautiful homes.

Enjoy your stay, and be sure to take in all we have to offer whether it is a ball game in the evening, a swim in the pool, boating and fishing on the Fox River, or a leisurely afternoon in historic downtown Berlin.

Forestry

BERLIN STREET TERRACE TREE POLICY

The street terrace (area between the street and your property line) is a place where utilities are buried, snow is stored, street lights are installed, and city trees are planted. The city has ordinances about what is allowed to be planted in the terrace areas. The following needs to be adhered to if you are planning on planting a tree in the terrace area.

A permit must be obtained from the City Forester, Berlin City Hall, 108 N. Capron Street.

Trees must be approved by the City Forester prior to planting.

Terrace area must be wider than three (3) feet in width.

Trees must be planted a minimum distance of sixteen (16) feet apart and a recommended twenty-five (25) feet apart from an intersection.

Terrace trees must be planted between the back of the curb and the front of the sidewalk.

Evergreens are prohibited from being planted, this would include: Cedar, Spruce, Pine, Fir, etc. In addition, other prohibited trees are: Cottonwood, Box Elder, and Mulberry. Including: Shrubbery, ground cover other plants not considered to be a deciduous leaf tree within the terrace areas whose growth is not in excess of eight (8) inches above the top of the nearest curb.

Unlawfully planted trees. Trees, plants or shrubs planted within an terrace or planting easement without authorization and approval of the City Forester may be removed.

Any alterations, including: trimming or removal of trees in the terrace area which residents or contractors are planning on completing, MUST HAVE A PERMIT and be approved by the City Forester prior to any work being started. There are strict regulations on trimming of trees in the terrace area.

Information available on planting, pruning, and general care: The City Department of Public Works will trim and remove hazardous trees located in the terrace area as deemed necessary by the City Forester or their designee and as time permits. If a citizen feels a tree in the terrace area may be hazardous or trimming is needed, contact the City Forester.

Sec. 78- 48 PROHIBITED ACTS.

(a) Damage to Public Trees. No person shall, without the consent of the owner in the case of a private tree or shrub, or without a written permit from the City Forester in the case of a terrace area tree, public tree or shrub, perform or cause to be performed, any of the following acts:

Secure, fasten or run any rope, wire sign, unprotected electrical installation or other device or material to, around or through a tree or shrub.

Break, injure, mutilate, deface, kill or destroy any tree or shrub, or permit any fire to burn where it will injure any tree or shrub.

Permit any toxic chemical, gas, smoke, oil or other injurious substance to seep, drain, or be emptied upon or about any tree or shrub, or place cement or other solid substance around the base of a tree or schrub.

Remove any guard, stake or other device or material intended for the protection of a public tree or shrub, or close or obstruct any open space about the base of a public tree or shrub designed to permit access of air, water and fertilizer.

Attach any sign, poster, notice or other object on any tree, or fasten a wire, cable, rope, nail, screw or other device to a tree, except the city may tie temporary “no parking” signs to trees, when necessary, in conjunction with street improvement work, tree maintenance work or parades.